Articles

Theodore Wiprudphoto courtesy of Allemar Music Self-publishing used to be a default position for me: no corporate publisher had brought out my music so I was the one copying scores and parts. Later I made a conscious decision to take my career into my own hands, to claim full responsibility for finding performers and an […]

I am an incurable record collector. For me, the ability to hear something whenever I want it is more alluring than most live concert experiences. And there are so musicians I want to hear whom I would never be able to hear any other way than on a recording, due to both geographic and chronological […]

Lara PellegrinelliPhoto by Melissa Richard One minute, you’re just sitting around in some dark, dank, tiny, crowded, smoke-filled basement room with a drink in your hand; the next, you’re intently focused, completely absorbed, magically transported into the light of improvisation. That, in a nutshell, is the power of jazz, a power which moves listeners and […]

Kitty BrazeltonPhoto by Judy Schiller Performance is dialogue. So every performance must be different. I may start with the same message but I don’t say it the same – to different people or in different environments. And I expect the same skill in flexibility from my musicians. “Listen” to the room, its shape, its attitude, […]

Nick DidkovskyPhoto by Pamela Farland The venues I perform in do not affect the set list I put together for my band, Doctor Nerve. I usually do that on the train on the way to the venue. If we make last minute changes, it’s usually due to a management request like, “We’d prefer two sets […]

Oliver LakePhoto by Chris Drukker It’s very difficult to describe the effect that different venues have on my performances. Certain audiences have different energies. Often the audience becomes a part of the performance and that can affect the performance in different ways. The more intimate, the better. I primarily play for myself and hope that […]

Mary LaRosePhoto by Ron Schwerin Of course, I am affected by my listeners, but the band always depends on each other first for being it’s own audience, and then from there it goes out to involve. Different venues create unique situations in music. Performing in the studio is unnatural since music is meant to be […]

Fred HerschPhoto by Hollister Dru Breslin When I play solo, I prefer a concert hall (non sound system!). Since I don’t have other musicians to interact with (and since my programs are largely improvised), the three things that affect my performance the most are (in order of importance): the piano itself (the tone of the […]

Kitty BrazeltonComposer/Vocalist“…I may start with the same message but I don’t say it the same – to different people or in different environments…” Nick DidkovskyComposer/Guitarist“…It’s best when the audience is working as hard as we are to make the event happen…” Oliver LakeComposer/Saxophonist“…The main thing is that I play honestly and from my heart, and […]

Frank J. OteriPhoto by Melissa Richard On special occasions I take people on tours of historic bars in New York City. The rule is that we won’t go into a place unless it was open before Prohibition and remained open during Prohibition and ever since. In one evening, we are usually able to stop at […]

NewMusicBox, a multimedia publication from New Music USA, is dedicated to the music of American composers and improvisers and their champions. NewMusicBox offers: in-depth profiles, articles, and discussions; up-to-the-minute industry news and commentary; a direct portal to our internet radio station, Counterstream; and access to an online library of more than 57,000 works by more than 6,000 composers.